Sacrifices
by TheSilverSleeper
Summary: Contrary to popular belief, Arthur wasn't completely oblivious. But after a night of following Merlin to discover what secrets the boy was hiding, he wished he was. AU of Lady of the Lake 2x9
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I looked all through the base, and I couldn't find one AU fic about Arthur finding out about Freya while Merlin was hiding her in the catacombs. Since I'm a Freylin nutter (okay, I basically ship Merlin with anyone because I just want him to be happy, but mostly Freya), I decided to go for it.**

**This will be a three-shot, entirely from Arthur's POV.**

**Pairings: Freylin (duh). Warnings: Possible character death**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. If I did, poor Merlin wouldn't be so lonely.**

* * *

Arthur was confused.

It had started that morning, from the very moment he woke up. Arthur liked to start his day with the same routine. With everything else he had to deal with in the day, knowing one thing would always be the same was comforting. But what had to happen? His one thing he thought he could count on was off.

And it was all Merlin's fault.

At first Arthur had wondered if it was his fault. Merlin had been practically running from the room, barely stopping to make sure Arthur was actually awake before making a break for the door. Not to mention that pathetic excuse for a breakfast he'd brought. Had he done something to offend him? Honestly, Merlin could be such a girl sometimes. But then, he usually let Arthur know -quite vocally, in fact- when that happened.

Then there was the incident with the bathwater. Part of Arthur wondered if he had perhaps overreacted a bit, but if he had, it was only slightly, surely. Honestly, he'd known Merlin was incompetent, but how on earth he'd managed to get the water so _scalding_... He would have thought such a thing beyond even Merlin's skills.

But it had all come to a head that afternoon. His already frayed temper had become even more grated upon by a disastrous midday meal -he wasn't actually going insane, was he?- but then he just had to volunteer to take a message from his father to the soldiers in the dungeons. There Arthur had found the last thing he expected; that loathsome bounty hunter Halig had actually _dared_ to abduct _his_ servant so he could interrogate and _assault_ him. No matter how many goblets he himself threw at Merlin's head, Arthur would never allow someone to do such a thing to him.

Halig claimed Merlin was acting suspiciously. Well, Arthur _knew_ Merlin was acting suspiciously. He just had better methods of finding out why.

In the end, if he had to pick only one reason he was doing this, it was the food. Merlin had admitted to stealing his midday, claiming it was to keep him in shape -which was ridiculous because Arthur was _not_ fat- and he now had a sneaking suspicion that Merlin had actually taken his breakfast, too. But why? Yes, Merlin was a scrawny fellow, but Arthur didn't think it was from a lack of Gaius feeding him. Even if there were another food shortage, which currently there wasn't, Arthur had a feeling Gaius would give up his own meal to ensure Merlin had one.

So it wasn't that his servant lacked his own food. But then what was the reason?

The question that was Merlin had led him out here, in the middle of the night. Arthur felt like an idiot, sneaking about his own city following his servant around. What he _should_ be doing was sitting him down and just demanding to know what was going on. But he knew that was a waste of time. Merlin just didn't seem to get the whole "you have to obey me because I'm the prince" thing. He would probably just lie, and they'd both know he was lying, but Arthur would have to let him go because Merlin was simply too stubborn to give in when he ought to.

Merlin was definitely going somewhere he didn't want anyone else to know about. He kept looking over his shoulder nervously, forcing Arthur to duck and hide. When he reached the catacombs, Arthur watched as he grabbed and lit a torch, descending into the dark. The prince followed after, tiptoeing as quietly as he could, not daring grab a torch of his own and give himself away.

He heard voices, and ducked behind a wall, feeling even more ridiculous than ever. Who was Merlin talking to, and why on earth would he meet them down here? Arthur inched forward until he could make out words.

"How did he find you?"

"You can't always trust people."

A girl? Merlin was meeting a girl? Arthur almost started laughing at how senseless this whole thing was. Only Merlin would find a need to be so secretive about simply meeting a girl. He was going to have the time of his life teasing his servant for this.

"I know. That's why I left home."

Wait, what? That wasn't what he'd told Arthur. He'd said he didn't fit in anymore. Arthur had met the people of his village. Who did Merlin think he could not trust there, enough to drive him from the only home he'd ever known? Will perhaps, his friend who turned out was actually a sorcerer? They'd seemed close, despite the boy's true colours, but Arthur couldn't remember anyone else there who seemed shifty or who looked upon Merlin with disdain.

They kept talking about their homes. From the sound of it, Arthur guessed this tryst was recent. They seemed to be just getting to know each other. That made him feel a bit better. He hadn't been entirely clueless.

"You're not on your own anymore. I'm going to look after you. I promise."

"You can't look after me. No one can."

That was odd. She was right, of course; Merlin couldn't look after her. He could barely look after himself. From the sound of it Arthur gathered her immediate family was dead, but there had to be someone looking after her, an aunt or someone that she was staying with in the lower town (probably one who didn't approve of Merlin for them to feel they needed to go to such lengths to hide themselves -another thing Arthur could use as teasing material). What else would she be doing in Camelot?

"No, I don't think you understand. I've never known anyone like you…" A pause. Arthur did _not_ want to think about what was happening during that pause. He was definitely starting to regret following Merlin down here. "I wish I could stay."

"You're going?"

"We need to be careful. I'll come back in the morning… You know I will be back, don't you?"

That sounded like a signal that they were about to leave if ever he'd heard one. Arthur scrambled back further into the darkness. He certainly planned on confronting Merlin about this whole thing eventually, but now didn't seem the time. He really had only ever wanted to embarrass his servant, not this poor girl, however misguided he thought she must be see anything in _Merlin_.

Luckily Merlin walked right past without noticing him, carrying the torch, completely alone. _Wait, what about the girl_? Unfortunately the thought distracted him long enough that Arthur didn't quite follow fast enough, and he was left in darkness.

Carefully he edged his way along the wall. He thought he might remember the way back. Something on the ground tripped him up, and forgetting himself, he swore aloud.

A gasp. "Who's there? Merlin? Is that you?"

Arthur startled a bit himself at her panicked whisper. _Seriously, Merlin? You__** left**__ her down here? All on her own? Do I seriously have to clean up all your messes, even the ones I'm not supposed to know about?  
_  
"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you," he called softly back.

"Who are you?" she repeated. It was clear she was terrified, and Arthur felt terrible for sneaking down here now.

"I'm a friend," he assured her. "Of Merlin's," he added while at the same time thinking _Just please don't ever tell him I said so_.

Seeing a candle flicker in the distance, he made his way towards it. As his shadow came into view, she scrambled away. "It's okay. I promise; I won't harm you."

When Arthur got his first good look at her he had to employ every lesson in controlling the expression of his feelings that he'd ever gotten. The girl was covered in dirt and wearing what may have at one point been a dress but now was simply a mess of scraps. She looked absolutely petrified the more he gazed at her, so he dropped his eyes, looking around instead at the gathering of candles, a handkerchief that still held one of those rogue sausages, and Merlin's usual brown jacket, which seeing his gaze upon her she pulled up onto her shoulders and wrapped tightly around the front of her body like a shield.

What on earth had happened to her? It was no wonder now that Merlin was hiding her down here, bringing her his stolen food. Arthur understood why Merlin would make a promise to take care of her. However, this wasn't the best way to do it. If only he'd told the prince, Arthur could have done something more for her. He had much more power than a simple servant. He _would_ do it now, now that he knew.

"Who did this to you? We can ensure they won't do it again." She shook her head vehemently. "You don't have to be afraid. All I need is a name."

"What did Merlin tell you about me?" She sounded a bit hurt. Arthur thought he understood; she had said something about being "found" because people couldn't be trusted. Now she thought Merlin, too, had betrayed her trust.

"Nothing, actually," he admitted with a guilty shrug. "I sort of... well, I followed him here."

"I think you should go. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"But you don't mind getting Merlin in trouble." Arthur bit his tongue, regretting the words the moment he said them. "I apologize, that wasn't–"

"I tried to tell him it wasn't safe. He wouldn't listen."

_"You can't look after me. No one can."_

"Here, you can take one of the candles to find your way out."

As she reached the candle out to him, that was when he saw it. Arthur almost missed it in the dim light, but one glimpse was all he needed. Before she could pull away, he whipped out a hand and grabbed her by the elbow. The girl gave a frightened squeak and tried to pull away, but he held fast. Yes, it was definitely there: a druid symbol.

"You're the girl," he realized, his voice suddenly cold. "The druid girl who escaped from the bounty hunter."

"Please," she whispered. "Please, don't tell on Merlin. He was just trying to help."

_That_ was why they had met down here, hidden away in the dark. Why Merlin had been acting so suspiciously. Why he had stolen food for her and lied about it to Arthur. He wasn't hiding her from some abusive relative or betrothal. He was aiding and abetting a fugitive.

Arthur couldn't even blame him. If that young man saw a rabid bear in such a sorry condition, he would stop to help without a thought for himself, let alone a girl who looked as helpless as this. That was just _Merlin._ And he probably didn't know about the curse.

But Arthur couldn't let it go on, not when he _did_ know.

"I have to turn you in. I'm sorry." And he was, really. It wasn't because she was a druid. Why, just over a year ago he'd helped another druid escape from Camelot. But that boy hadn't been a danger, and according to Halig, she was.

Yet something was holding him back. Maybe it was that she didn't struggle to get away when he said he was going to turn her in, instead simply nodded meekly, accepting her fate. Or that she hadn't yet made a single plea for herself, instead only asked for the safety of someone else. Or, more likely, it was the thought of the look on a particular manservant's face when he found out what Arthur had done. Arthur groaned internally. He couldn't believe he was going to do this.

"If I let you go, do you promise not to do anything to harm the people here?"

She nodded quickly, confusion and disbelief evident in her face amidst the fear.

"I'll be back tomorrow. Will you stay here until I do?" He could put off the decision until then. That would give him time to speak to Merlin, to explain to him why it had to be done.

If he realized it also gave her time to escape, he conveniently ignored the thought.

After another moment's trepidation, Arthur released her arm. He didn't take the candle. She had so little light already; he couldn't bring himself to leave her further in the dark. Instead he gave her a small nod and stood, feeling his way along the wall as he had been before.

Before Arthur was too far away, however, a small whisper floated out to meet him, barely audible even in the stark quiet.

"Thank you."

* * *

**A/N: Poor Arthur! So many choices to make! Just a warning, this is going to be a terribly sad story. Whether or not anyone dies. I've been writing too much happiness lately. So everyone might live and I'll still make sure your hearts are wrenched out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, thanks everyone for the response! I hope I can live up to your expectations! Although many of your compliments were cursing me and my writing skills, so I'm not sure I want to anymore. xD**

**Honestly I've never had so many guest reviews before. I'm going to do my best to answer them here. Numbers go from oldest review to newest.**

**Guest 2: Arthur is mean, isn't he? He means well, though. I have the same relationship with my brothers, which makes it easy for me to write sometimes.**

**Guest 3: Challenge Accepted. I shall have fun now attempting to rip out your non-existent heart. WHAHAHA! (I think I've turned into a sadist. Masochist? Sado-masochist.)**

**Guest 4-5: I know, I was surprised how rare this kind of story was! There aren't many 2x09 stories, and anytime it does come up, it never has Arthur and Freya together, which I was always curious about! Most are just Merlin telling Arthur afterwards kind of stories.**

* * *

Arthur meant to speak to Merlin. Really, he did. But once again, the young man was in and out of his room so quickly the next morning that he barely caught a glimpse of him. Then Arthur was called out by his father to investigate a pair of mysterious deaths in the lower town. Then who should he see skulking about but that darn bounty hunter.

Seeing the direction the bounty hunter was heading in, Arthur made rapid excuses to his father, claiming he had promised to pick something up for Morgana in the marketplace. Uther nodded absentmindedly, giving a small smile at the mention of his beloved ward. Quickly Arthur slipped up behind Halig and his cohorts, making sure to keep well out of sight.

"He went this way. If we follow him, we find the girl."

Arthur swore. _Merlin, you idiot! You had to go and let yourself be seen!_ As Halig disappeared into the catacombs, Arthur abandoned his subtlety and ran after him. _Why do I let myself get roped into these things?_ He had already decided he was going to turn the druid girl in. He could just let Halig go down and find her.

If she was even still there. There was every chance that she could have escaped in the night after he'd left her.

But even if she had indeed gone, Merlin was still down there. Something in Arthur knew he couldn't let his servant get arrested for doing what he thought was the right thing, no matter how misguided his actions were.

Rushing down the catacomb stairs, he called out, "Halig!"

There was movement ahead of him, and several long heartbeats went by before torchlight appeared around the corner. "Sire?"

"What do you think you're doing down here?"

"We're searching for the druid girl, sire." Halig's tone held a note of irritation, like he wanted to snap, "_What do you think we're doing, you idiot?_"

Arthur thought quickly, though when he took a moment to dwell on it later, he would have said he wasn't really thinking at all. "I've just received word she may be hiding near the gates. The guards there reported they saw a girl acting suspiciously. They think she may be waiting for night to escape. We need you to identify her."

The bounty hunter grinned maliciously. It wasn't clear whether or not he believed the prince's story, but it seemed he wasn't entirely willing to casually dismiss it, either. "Of course, sire."

Halig and his men jogged back up the steps, brushing roughly past Arthur without a word. As Arthur turned to follow after, not sure what he was going to say when no such suspicious girl was found by the gates, he held himself back for just a moment, just long enough to catch a snatch of panicked sniffles echoing through the dark.

* * *

Arthur didn't follow Merlin that night, though he did watch him skip across the courtyard. He cursed the boy for not staying within his sights for more than a minute all day, and certainly not long enough for Arthur to explain why, even though he knew Merlin had the best intentions, the druid girl had to be turned in. He wondered if Gaius knew what his ward was doing. Arthur dismissed the possibility. Gaius knew about the curse; he wouldn't put Merlin in danger like that.

Instead Arthur waited until he spotted the servant making his way back to sneak out himself. He didn't know why he was now avoiding Merlin when before he would have been glad just to have a chance to speak with him. But then, nothing about anything Arthur had done recently made sense.

Even more than he was cursing Merlin he cursed that girl. That stupid smile on Merlin's face as he returned meant one thing: she was still there. Why didn't she just run? Arthur had given her the chance! He had told her what would happen and then he had let her go! Did she think his mercy was boundless? He couldn't ignore her presence forever. If she had just slipped away last night when she had the opportunity, he could have perhaps pretended he had never seen her there, that it had never happened. Merlin would have moped a bit, and Halig and his father would have been furious, but everyone would have gotten over it eventually.

That couldn't happen now.

Since he had no reason to conceal his presence this time, Arthur grabbed a torch of his own before descending the steps to the catacombs. "It's just me," he called out softly, cautious of frightening her too badly, though he was unsure himself if he was worried for her sake or for his own.

The girl sat huddled against the wall like last time. She wore an odd look upon her face, like a mix between excitement and disappointment. She looked up as Arthur approached, but other than a wince, she gave no other negative reaction to his presence, neither bolting nor cowering and bursting into tears. "Is it time to go?"

For some inexplicable reason, Arthur hesitated. He would regret that hesitation for the rest of his life. For in that brief moment he looked down and spotted what the girl twirled absentmindedly between her fingers: a delicate red rose.

She noticed immediately where his eyes had strayed. A blush spread across her cheeks. In a hushed voice she explained, "He offered to get me out of Camelot. He said..." she ducked her head and the odd expression tripled. "He said he would come with me."

_"I've never known anyone like you."_

Arthur groaned internally. _Why, Merlin? Why did you have to do this to me?_ Arthur resisted the urge to rub his face in frustration. What was he supposed to do now? If he dared to turn the girl in, Merlin would never speak to him ever again. But if he didn't, he would be putting people in danger. Including Merlin. _You just had to fall in love with her, didn't you?_

Arthur steeled himself. "I need to know. What exactly is this curse the bounty hunter says you have? Don't lie to me."

Now her face had melted into pure sadness. She didn't answer for a minute, staring instead at the rose in her hands. Finally she answered, "I kill people. I turn into a monster and kill them. I can't help it. I can't stop it." She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "To answer the question you were really asking, yes, I am dangerous. When I said before I promised not to hurt anyone… I can't promise that. I cannot guarantee I wouldn't hurt Merlin even. It is likely I would."

Arthur swore in his head, but even he had to admit it was more in disappointment than surprise or revulsion for her admission. That had sealed it. He couldn't let her go. Not for Merlin, not for herself. He had to take her in.

Merlin was going to kill him, but he would rather that than this girl kill Merlin.

She seemed to agree. "If you let me go, I'll leave without Merlin. I'll go tonight, and get as far away from here as possible. I don't want to hurt him. I've never wanted to harm anyone."

Oh, but that would hurt even worse, and Arthur knew it. If this girl vanished without so much as a goodbye when Merlin was apparently completely prepared to give up his entire life in Camelot to run away with her, he would take it as badly as if she actually killed him.

No, she couldn't run, and Arthur couldn't let her go. Which left only one option. "I have to take you to the castle now. I'm sorry." He'd never meant the words as much as he did then.

"I understand." She stood with him meekly, gesturing for him to go ahead of her. Arthur frowned. If he wasn't mistaken, she didn't appear nearly as upset about his decision as he had expected. She almost seemed... relieved.

Arthur didn't rush her as they emerged from the catacombs and made their way through the town. Pausing, she took a deep breath as they exited the tunnels, closing her eyes for a moment. He let her have it. This would be the last time she got to be outside, after all, at least as a semi-free woman. Finally he knew they had to move before the guards made their rounds and saw them. They may not have known who she was, but they would be curious about her condition. Then later they would wonder why Arthur had not had her restrained, allowing her to walk entirely on her own beside him.

He took her straight to the dungeons, fear filling him with every step that Merlin would suddenly come around a corner. He would have to go to Gaius's tonight and tell him. Arthur knew if he didn't, Merlin would simply repeat his new routine of popping in and out of his room to wake him in a flash, then heading straight for the catacombs. When he didn't find his new love there… Yes, it would be better to hear it directly from Arthur, even if it did destroy both of them in the process.

At her request, he locked her in the cell furthest from where the guards were stationed. Something told him she didn't ask because it would make it easier for her to escape. She could have left the night before, when Arthur gave her the opportunity –again he cursed her decision not to. There had to be some other reason why she wanted to be out of sight, and since he was already bringing her to her death, Arthur decided her could at least grant her this boon.

She halted at the door of the cell as he held it open for her. He could see she was shaking, and tears were making tracks down her dirt stained cheeks. Her breathing had quickened a bit, and she seemed to be struggling to make herself move again. Arthur reached out a hand to nudge her gently forward. She still didn't move.

"I'm sorry. I can't," came the stuttered whisper.

Arthur groaned internally. This had all been so much easier when she was practically imprisoning herself. _Coward. Forget the fact that she just looks like a terrified girl right now and remember that she's a criminal. A criminal who admitted you she kills people. Who admitted she might kill Merlin._ He took her by the arm and pushed her lightly into the cell, closing the door and locking it behind her.

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I just… I never wanted to be back- back in a cage again."

Arthur didn't know what to say, so he just nodded jerkily and started to flee.

"Wait." Reluctantly Arthur turned back to where she still stood, reaching towards him through the bars. In her hand she still held the rose, slightly wilted now from her worrying fingers. "Please, give this to Merlin. Tell him… I'm sorry."

Arthur took the flower and hurried away. He was afraid if he stayed any longer, he would be unable to stop himself from letting her go. He ran to Gaius's. No sound could be heard from behind the door, but Arthur was sure Merlin was still awake. He raised his hand to knock, readying an apology for the old physician for waking him so late. Just as he was about to bring his knuckles down, however, someone stepped around the corner into view.

"Arthur! Um, what are you doing here?" Merlin stared at him, a mix of concern and confusion on his features. He held something in his arms which he immediately whipped behind his back before Arthur could get a good look at it, a guilty blush creeping up into his cheeks. "I thought you'd gone to bed for the night."

Arthur opened and closed his mouth, words failing him. How did he explain? "Merlin, I…" he trailed off. There just wasn't a good way to do this.

But he didn't have to struggle for long. Merlin was backing away from him now, all previous emotions overtaken by shock and fear. His eyes were on the rose clasped in Arthur's hand. "Please… tell me you didn't…"

Arthur's continued silence was all the confirmation Merlin needed. He turned and sprinted away, the object he'd been hiding dropping from his hands and floating the ground. Arthur picked it up. It was one of Morgana's dresses. _He really __**was**__ going to leave…_

The realization hit him hard. It was one thing to be told as such by a cursed girl, one who might do or say anything to keep herself safe. It was another to see the evidence for himself. Merlin really had been completely willing to leave Camelot behind to escape with her. He would have left Gaius, left Arthur, all without a word.

_Would I do it? If it was Guinevere?_ It was hardly a question worth asking. Of course he would.

Arthur had a feeling he knew where Merlin had gone. He was probably halfway to the catacombs by now, praying that what he was thinking was wrong. He'd be back, and there were only two places he might go from there: to the dungeons or to Arthur. Arthur began to walk back to the dungeons. He'd have to head the boy off. He couldn't let him go down there, not when the guards would be able to see and report the odd visit by a person who shouldn't know their prisoner in the first place, let alone know that she was down there.

Stopping Merlin when he returned, however, turned out to be a job and a half. The gangly servant was much stronger than he looked. Arthur put his arms in a deadlock behind his back, dragging him away. Merlin shouted obscenities at him, but he didn't let go, taking him all the way back to his chambers before releasing him. Immediately Merlin aimed a punch at his head, but Arthur gripped his wrist, swinging his arm down and back in the same motion he'd used not so long ago when the boy was just as upset over the arrest of his guardian.

"Please, Arthur, you have to let her go! She hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Merlin–"

"She's just a girl; she's not going to hurt anyone!"

"Merlin–"

"Just let me take her out of the city! No one has to know. You did it for Mordred! Remember, he was an innocent druid, too!"

"Merlin!"

Arthur gave the boy a firm shake to still his babbling. "I can't let her go free. I had no choice; you know that."

"_Please, Arthur_–"

"Merlin, the girl is cursed! She told me herself that if I let her go, she couldn't guarantee that people wouldn't die because of it. I cannot stand by and let people die for the sake of one girl. No matter what she means to you. I'm sorry, Merlin."

It seemed those last three words, spoken so sincerely, were the magic ones it took to break him. Merlin wrestled himself free, but as his body language no longer screamed that he was about to try to run out the door, Arthur felt safe letting him. The boy slumped to the floor, burying his face in his hands. Arthur stared awkwardly down at him. He really didn't know what to do in these kinds of situations.

"Can I see her at least?"

Arthur thought about that for a long minute. On the one hand, after the events of the past few days, he had a feeling no matter what he said Merlin was going to try sneak down to the dungeons anyway so he might as well give in now so at least the visit would be sanctioned. On the other, grossly disproportionate hand, the reason he had stopped Merlin before was still valid. It was simply too suspicious for him to show up in the cells to visit a prisoner that not even the king knew yet was there. It was honestly too suspicious for him to visit a prisoner that the king _did_ know about, especially when rumours that the girl had had help escaping abounded –rumours which Halig already believed pointed directly to Merlin.

But even so, Arthur still had to consider that first, annoying hand.

"If you promise not to do anything _stupid_… I think we can manage something."

* * *

"-and _next time_ you decide you want to steal from my meals, maybe you might want to try eating them somewhere you won't so easily be caught! Of course, there had better not be a next time, you hear me, _Mer_lin? If there is, you'll wish a night in the dungeons was the worst punishment I could find for you!"

Arthur shoved the young man, causing him to stumble and fall onto the straw-covered ground. The girl in the next cell stared wide-eyed at the proceedings but remained silent, curled up in the corner.

"I'm sorry, sire; I was hungry!" Merlin cried, not at all perturbed by his rough landing. "Besides, it's not like I could take the extra from Gaius. He needs the food to keep up his strength. You, on the other hand, well, it'd be a tragedy if you started to not fit into your armour properly–"

"_Good_ _night, Merlin,_" Arthur hissed, shooting him a warning look. Yes, they had put up an act for the guards in the barracks, but that was no excuse for Merlin to think he could get away with his usual insolence –_Of course it wouldn't have __**become**__ usual if he wasn't able to get away with it in the first place_. "I'll send someone to let you out in the morning." Someone who would most certainly not be him. Definitely not. "Maybe. Maybe I'll just leave you here to rot. You never know; I could get used to you not being around."

That earned him a lopsided grin. In a voice that was not meant to be overheard by anyone, he said, "Thank you, Arthur."

Arthur locked the cell door and walked around the corner, pausing just out of sight. _This_ was a habit he really ought to get himself out of. It was not seemly for a future king to be skulking in the shadows eavesdropping on his manservant's conversations. He should start now, in fact. This instant.

Arthur leaned a bit closer to the edge of the wall to hear better.

"Merlin, what are you doing here?" The girl sounded deeply concerned as she shuffled across the straw. _At least someone bought our little charade._

"I had to see you. I'm so sorry, Freya. It's my fault you were caught."

"No, don't think that. I had the opportunity to run after you freed me from that cage. I should have run, but I didn't. I'm only sorry you got caught up in this, too."

Arthur was sorry, too. Merlin was making it very difficult to be mad at him about this whole thing when he acted so _devastated_.

"Merlin… that man. Did you just call him '_sire?_' Was that the _prince?_"

_Oops._ He honestly hadn't realized until then that he hadn't actually told the girl his name before now. But then, he hadn't asked for hers either. It was easier to think of her as just another criminal when they didn't go through such pleasantries. And then, he was just so used to people simply _knowing _who he was. Freya. It was a nice name.

Merlin sounded a bit embarrassed about it as well, and he didn't even actually know what exactly Arthur had done yet. "Yes. I work here in the castle as Arthur's servant. He didn't… he didn't mean for this to happen. He was only doing what he thought what right."

"I know."

"But I know you better than he does. I know you would never hurt anyone. Not on purpose." There was a short pause, and Arthur could have sworn he _heard_ the determined –read _obstinate_–a face Merlin made when he was coming up with his most ridiculous plans. "I told you before, Freya, I'm going to get you out of here. This is just a minor setback, that's all."

"What? Merlin, no–"

Definitely no. Arthur was at the bounds of his leniency allowing _this_. Now that the girl was caught by the crown as opposed to a measly bounty hunter the game was over. Halig might have tried to beat the boy, but in the end he had no real proof to back his claim up. Anyone even suspected of aiding a prisoner from these cells would be found guilty of treason, proof or no. There was no way he was letting Merlin even think about trying to break her out from here. Then there was that mangy curse to consider. _Merlin, you promised me you wouldn't do anything stupid!_

It occurred to Arthur that Merlin probably didn't consider the idea of saving the girl he loved from imminent death a stupid thing to do at all.

"I'm not leaving you here! I promised I would look after you, and I'm keeping that promise. We can leave tonight. It's not ideal, but it won't be hard; I've snuck around here plenty of times. Arthur said he wouldn't tell his father he captured you until the morning, so no one will even be looking for you to be missing, and no one would be looking for me in the first place."

_That wasn't why I was doing that, Merlin, and you know it_. He'd promised to keep his mouth shut to give them some time together without someone coming down to drag her away for questioning or a late-night execution, or worse, Halig spotting Merlin's coincidently timed imprisonment and obvious distress and drawing the connection between the two. Arthur planned to make sure Merlin was far away from the dungeons and safely locked in his chambers –to protect Merlin from both Halig and himself– before he informed anyone who was down there.

And how could Merlin think no one would be looking for him?

"You _can't_, Merlin." She was starting to sound oddly desperate. "You need to leave, now. Call the prince back. Tell him to let you out. Just go, please."

"But, Freya–"

"_Go, Merlin._ _Now._"

Arthur sighed quietly. He really ought to be making a decision now to either obey the girl's wishes to take Merlin away or leave them to their last night together in peace. He was leaning towards the latter. She would feel terrible about sending Merlin away come morning, and by that time there would be no second chance to say good-bye. The bells began to toll midnight. It startled Arthur away from the scene for a moment. He hadn't even realized it was so late. He supposed it didn't matter. If he'd been in his bed right now he wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway.

And he certainly wasn't going to be going to sleep any time soon.

A sobbing whisper. "I'm sorry, Merlin."

Then the screams started.


End file.
